Garden-tractor



R. S. KINKEAD, G. L. WILLITS AND H. L. DOWNING. GARDEN TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 10, 1919. 1,371,903. v Patented Mar. 15,1921.

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R. S. KINKEAD, G. L. WILLITS AND H. L. DOWNING.

GARDEN TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0U. 10. $919.

1,371,903, Patented Mar. 15,1921.

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THEIR ATTORNEYS,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE.

ROBERT S. KINKEAD, OF ST. PAUL, AND GUY L. WILLITS AND HAROLD L. DOWNING,

0F MINNEAPOLIS, MEINNESOTA. 1

GARDEN-TRACTOR.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that we, ROBERT S. KINKEAD, GUY L. WILLITS, and HAROLD L. DOWNING, citizens of the United States, ROBERT S. KINKEAD residing at St. Paul, and GUY L. WILLITS and HAROLD L. DOWNING residing at Minneapolis, in the counties of Ramsey and Hennepin, respectively, and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garden-Tractors, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to garden tractors and particularly to a device of this character which is provided with a singledriving wheel for causing movement of the tractor over the ground. An object is to provide a construction for garden tractors which will be efiicient in operation and easy to manufacture and at the same time will be of sufiiciently light weight so that it may be easil manipulated by the operator. Another 0 ject is to provlde a device of this character which is furnished with handles to be grasped by the operator, who walks at the rear and steers the device by tipping the handles and the attached tractor toward one side or the other as may be necessary to properly guide the tractor.

The full objects and advantages of our invention will appear in connection with the detailed description and the novel features embodied in our inventive idea are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the application of our invention in one form,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a top plan view partly in horizontal section. Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the particular construction shown in the drawings, 10 designates the rim of a driving wheel which is open on one side and the opposite side of which is closed by a central circular member 12 and an annular member 14 connecting the member 12 with the rim 10 The member 12 is provided with a hub 16 and an annular flange 18, the latter having teeth on its inner surface to constitute an internal gear 20. The hub 16 is keyed to a shaft 22 which passes through a supporting member or casting 24 provided with handle socket members 26 and 28 and also provided with a portion 30 which extends into the wheel through the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed October 10, 1919. Serial No. 329,781.

illustrate the details thereof. A crank-shaft 40 driven from the engine in the usual manner is mounted in bearings in the casing. To one end of this shaft is secured a flywheel 42 and to the other end thereof is secured a pinion 44 meshing with a gear 46 having an integral sleeve 48 which surrounds a shaft 50 having a bearing at one of its ends in the casing member 34. The

sleeve 48 is extended at the other end and provided with teeth to constitute a pinion 52 meshing with the internal gear 20 so that the supporting wheel is driven by the engine. The sleeve 48 is keyed to theshaft 50 adjacent the pinion 52. A casing member 54 constitutes a bearing for the sleeve 48 and .the member 54 is provided with an annular flange 56 which fits over the annular flange 18. The gear 46 meshes with a gear 58 which is secured to the magneto shaft 60 mounted in bearings in the casing members 32 and 54. Handle members 62 and 64 are secured at their forward ends in the socket members 26 and 28, respectively. Below the socket members is a depending bracket 66 to which cultivator teeth 68 or other implements may be attached. It will manipulated and steered by the operator, who walks at the rear and grasps the handle members. When the tractor is being moved along by the single driving wheel the direction of travel may be readily controlled by the operator, who tilts the handle downwardly on the side corresponding to" the direction in which it is desired to steer.

We claim:

1. A garden tractor comprising a single driving wheel open on oneside and having a hub on the other side, means connecting the hub and the rim ofthe wheel, a shaft extending through said hub, an engine casing being secured to the last mentioned portion of said supporting member, and a pair of handle members extending rearwardly from said supporting member.

2. A garden tractor comprising a single driving wheel open on one side and having a hub on the other side, means connecting the hub and the rim of the wheel, an internal annular gear rigid with said hub and spaced therefrom laterally, a shaft extending through said hub, an engine casing mounted on said shaft, an engine associated with said casing, driving connections between the crank-shaft of said engine and said internal annular gear, a supporting member having a portion outside the rim of said wheel and a portion extending past the rim and through the open side of said wheel into the interior of the wheel, said engine casing being secured to the last mentioned portion of said supporting member, and a pair of handle members extending rearwardly from said supporting member.

3. A, garden tractor comprising a single driving wheel open on one side and having a hub on the other side, means connecting the hub and the rim of the wheel, whereby P the last mentioned side of the wheel is en tirely closed, an internal annular gear rigid With said hub and spaced therefrom laterally, a shaft extending through said hub,-

an engine casing mounted on said shaft, an englne associated with said casing, a pinion secured to the crank-shaft of said eng ne, a second shaft mounted 1n said engine casing, a sleeve rotatively mounted on said shaft, a gear secured to said sleeve and meshing with. said pinion, a second pinion secured to said sleeve and meshing with said internal annular gear, a supporting member having a portion outside the rim of said wheel and a portion extending past the rim and through the open side of said wheel into the interior of the wheel, said engine casing being-secured to the last mentioned portion of said supporting member, and a pair of handle members extending rearwardly from said supporting member.

4. A garden tractor comprising a single driving wheel open on one side and having a hub on the other side, a disk member extending around said hub, an annular'member connecting said disk member to the rim of said wheel whereby the last mentioned side of said wheel is entirely closed, an internal annular gear mounted on the inner surface of said disk member, a shaft extending through said hub, an engine casing mounted on said shaft, an engine associated with 'said casing, a pinion secured to the crank-shaft of said engine, a second shaft mounted in said engine casing, a sleeve rotatively mounted on said shaft, a gear secured to said sleeve and meshing with said pinion, a

1 tending past the rim and through the open side of said wheel into theinterior of the wheel, said engine casing being secured to the last mentioned portion of said supporting member, and a pair of handle members extending rearwardly from said supporting member.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

I ROBERT S. KINKEAD. GUY L. WILLITS. HAROLD L. DOWNING. 

